Breaking the Stress Cycle: A Step-by-Step Guide

Ever feel like stress has taken over your body? That tight jaw, shallow breathing, or nagging pelvic tension might not just be in your head. Stress and your body are deeply connected—but here’s the twist: could your posture and breathing be making your stress worse? Or is stress messing with your posture and breath? It’s a classic chicken-and-egg scenario, and today, we’re diving into the anatomy of stress to find out.

What Happens to Your Body When You’re Stressed?

Stress kicks your body into fight-or-flight mode, controlled by the sympathetic nervous system. It’s great if you’re running from danger (or chasing a toddler), but not so much for your daily life. Here’s what happens:

• Breathing gets shallow: Your chest does all the work, and your belly barely moves.

• Muscles tighten up: Your jaw, shoulders, and pelvic floor clench like they’re holding on for dear life.

• Posture takes a hit: Rounded shoulders, forward head posture, and pelvic tension create a recipe for discomfort.

The kicker? Chronic stress keeps you stuck in this mode, which doesn’t just affect your mind—it can change how your body functions.

Is Stress Messing with Your Posture and Breath—or Vice Versa?

Here’s where the chicken-and-egg dilemma comes in:

• Stress can lead to poor posture and shallow breathing (think slouching at your desk during a tough day).

• Poor posture (think breast feeding and baby holding) and shallow breathing can also cause stress by signaling your brain that something’s wrong.

It’s a two-way street where each issue worsens the other. So, while you’re stressed about your to-do list, your hunched posture and shallow breaths are telling your body, “Yep, stay stressed!”

How Posture and Breathing Affect Your Pelvic Floor

You’ve heard of the respiratory diaphragm (your main breathing muscle), but did you know your body has other “diaphragms”? Some of these include:

1. Cranial Diaphragm (top of your head)

2. Upper Cervical (tongue, floor and roof of mouth)

3. Lower Cervical (thoracic outlet)

4. Pelvic Floor

5. Knee Diaphragm (popliteal fascia, cruciate ligaments and transverse ligament)

6. Plantar Fascia (arch of foot)

Here’s the wild part: all these diaphragms are connected. When they’re aligned—through good posture—they work in harmony, helping you breathe deeply and move efficiently. But when stress throws one out of sync (like tensing your jaw), the others feel it too.

The Hidden Link Between the Tongue and Pelvic Floor

Fun fact: your tongue and pelvic floor are BFFs, and they’ve been connected since you were a fetus. Both developed from the same embryological layer (the mesoderm) and share a nervous system link. Stress affects the pelvic floor - and vice versa;

• A tense tongue or clenched jaw can lead to pelvic floor tension. Notice where your tongue is right now - is it tense and pushed up behind your teeth?

• Pelvic floor dysfunction can create tension in the jaw and neck.

• An imbalance in one can lead to an imbalance in the other, as well. Do you have one side of your jaw that is more tense than the other? Guess what…? It’s likely the same in your pelvic floor!

Think of it like a game of tug-of-war: what happens up top (your tongue) pulls on what’s below (your pelvic floor)—and vice versa. Stress tightens both ends, creating a feedback loop of discomfort.

Breaking the stress cycle naturally

The good news? You can break the cycle. By focusing on proper alignment and breathing, you can ease stress, support your pelvic floor, and feel better overall.

1. Simple Posture Tips to Relieve Stress

   • Stack your head, rib cage, and pelvis like building blocks.

   • Keep your pelvis neutral—not tilted too far forward or backward.

   • Relax your jaw and shoulders.

   • Stand evenly on both feet and spread your toes.

   You can test this by standing sideways in front of a mirror - move your head and chin forward and backward to find the right spot, bring your rib cage down and your shoulders back just a bit, align this over your pelvis. Can you find an alignment that feels ‘just right’? And, can you breathe in that alignment?

   This posture creates space for your body’s diaphragms to work together, improving breath and movement. Try these posture tips today and feel the difference!

2. How Diaphragmatic Breathing Calms the Body

   • First, sit comfortably and place one hand on your belly, the other on your chest.

   • Inhale deeply through your nose, letting your belly rise, feel your low back and pelvic floor lengthen, and notice your lower rib cage expand.

   • Exhale slowly, feeling for all of those same areas to slowly move in the opposite direction. This may feel like a bit of a muscle contraction but we are not looking to actively contract our muscles. Be aware of the movement though!

   Diaphragmatic breathing benefits include activating the parasympathetic nervous system (your “rest, digest, restore, regrow” mode) and helping to calm everything down. It triggers the vagus nerve sending this calming signal throughout your body.

   Our autonomic nervous system will make sure that we are breathing throughout the day (thankfully!) However, it responds to our stress - with tension throughout the body. However, we have the power to influence it with our breath.

3. Release the Tongue, Jaw and Pelvic Floor

   • Place your tongue gently on the roof of your mouth, and feel for it to spread from molar to molar, side to side.

   • Relax your jaw as you slowly open and close your mouth.

   • Pair this with pelvic floor stretches (like happy baby pose) and deep breathing to release tension from both areas.

Why It’s OK Not to Solve the Chicken-and-Egg Mystery

Here’s the thing: it doesn’t really matter whether stress is causing your posture and breathing issues or if they’re making your stress worse. What matters is breaking the cycle.

When you focus on aligning your body and breathing deeply, you:

• Allow your diaphragms to move freely, promoting balance through your entire body.

• Signal your brain to calm down and tone down the stress response.

• Improve circulation, reduce muscle tension, and support your pelvic floor.

It’s a win-win for your mind and body.

Final Thoughts: Breathe Easy, Stress Less

Stress happens, but it doesn’t have to take over your body. By learning how posture, breath, and your pelvic floor are connected, you can take simple steps to feel better—both physically and mentally.

So, next time you’re feeling stressed out, remember: a deep breath and a posture check can go a long way. Start with small changes, and soon, you’ll be breaking that stress cycle like a pro. I like to have my clients pick a different habit to focus on each week. Check your posture and breathing while you are brushing your teeth one week, then when you are in the shower the following week. The habit changes slowly start to stick with you and this is a great way to identify which of your habits may be provoking the worst breathing and posture - and you can fix it! So, take a deep breath and share this with someone who needs a stress reset.